Improvement in the manufacture of illuminating-gas



THEODORE. G. SPRINGER.

"improvement inthe Manufacture of Illuminating Gas.

No. 121,679. Patented Dec.5,1871.

Harney/s.

UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

THEODORE G. SPRINGER, OF FAYETTE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING-GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,679, dated December 5, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TEEODORE G. SPRINGER, of Fayette City, in the county of Fayette and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Illuminating- Gas; and do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon making a part of this specication.

My invention relates to that class of processes and apparatus for the manufacture of illuminat ing-gas where hydrocarbon liquids are used as the material from which the gas is principally formed; and the nature of my invention consists in an illuminating-gas formed by the automatic admixture or combination of a fixed gas or carbureted hydrogen and a vapor gas or carbureted air. It also consists in the process for forming the fixed gas from hydrocarbon liquids and the process for automatically mixing or combining the same with vapor-gas; and myinventiomlastly, consists in the construction of the appara-tus or means whereby my process is carried into operation, all of which will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention appertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe the construction and operation of my apparatus and the manner in which Vmy process is or may be carried into eect, referring to the annexed drawing, in Which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my entire ap paratus. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the furnace in which the fixed gas is made. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of the furnace and retort in which the vapor-gas is formed, with a longitudinal vertical section of the apparatus for mixing the fixed and vapor gases; and Fig. 4 is a plan view, part in section, of the retort in which the xed gas is completed before mixing with the Vvapor-gas.

tuous tube, C, one end of which communicates with a vertical pipe, D, said pipe passing through the furnace and as far down in the fire-box as may be desired, the lower end of the pipe being closed. In the upper end of the pipe D is inserted a nozzle, a, having a very small orifice, through which the hydrocarbon liquid is fed into the pipe D. The hydrocarbon liquid is con tain ed in the tank G, which is connected with the nozzle c by a iiexible or other tube, E. The liquid may be forced, by pressure or otherwise, from the tank G through the tube and nozzle into the vertical pipe D. It comes out through the oriflcein the nozzle in drops, and each drop as it falls from the nozzle goes down in the center of the pipe D without touching the sides of this pipe. The pipe D forming a part of the retort being heated to the required degree, the drop of hydrocarbon liq uid is, during its passage down said pipe, expanded and transformed into gas beforeit reaches the bottom of the pipe. The gas thus formed is drawn by suction through the remaining part of theretort O, and during its passage through said retort any particles of the hydrocarbon liquid which while in the pipe D may not have been completely transformed into fixed gas are thus transformed. The. suction necessary to draw the gas (carbureted hydrogen) through the retort C is created by means that will be hereinafter described. The outer end of the retort C, as well as the curves of the same at the front side of the furnace, are provided with caps b projecting through the front side of the furnace for the purl,pose of cleaning out the retort when necessary. H represents another furnace, in which is an ordinary retort, I, to be filled or partially filled with water. Through this retort passes a coil pipe, J, one end of which passes up through the top of the retort and the other end through the side of the retort and furnace, and this end of the coil is, by a flexible or other pipe, connected with a tank, K, at or near its upper end. This tank contains hydrocarbon liquid, which is fed up through the coil J by hydraulic pressure, awater-tank, L, being elevated to any suitable height above the other tank and furnace and connected by apipe, M, with the hydrocarbon-tank K, said pipe M entering both of said tanks at or near their lower ends, as shown in Fig. 1. The liquid may be fed by other means, if so desired. By this means the hydrocarbon-liquid is fed at equal pressure through the coil J in the retort I, Where it is con Verted into vapor, und this vapor posses through a Very small oritivv in thv uppvr vnd ot` thv voil into the mixing-tubv N. oritiev in the vnd ot' thv voil. und insvrtvd in the mixing-tube, is u pipe, O, the innvr diumvtvr o' a tube or opvning, fl, whit-h vntvrs thv mixinui tube N bvtwvvn thv vnd ot' thv voil und thv vnd of the pipe O, thus mixine; the hx'drovnrlmn vupor with thv ntmosphvriv uir. thrminf; rupnreus Or carburvtvd uir. But nt thv sume timv ns thv suction is l'ormvd to drnuY in utmosphvr' nirsuetion is ulso by thv sumv mvnns l'ormvd to druw the fixed gus-vnrburvtwl h xdrog'vn-trmvd in the pipe I) und rvtort (Y) through :t tuhv, l, into the mixing-tubi, snid tuhv l vntvringr thv mixing-tubv diret-tl)v opposite thv tuhv-opvnin.;l` J through ubivh thv ntmosphvriv nir is drown, thus mixing thv vurburvtvd lrvdrogvn with thv Curburvtvd uit', produving,` n supvrior illuminnt ing-gus, which is eonduvtvd through thv pipv O t0 the gusholdvr. In thv mixingtubv N is u Screw, It, by whit-h to rvgulutv thv tiow ot vapor through thv coil ,IL/f' My proevss for making this illumimxting-gus thus consistsot'thrvv svpurutvopvrutions: First,

the making ot' n iixvd gus-vnrburvtvd lrvdrogvn:

Second, thv umhing otu Vupor-g'us-vnrlmrvtvd air; und third, thv mixing),` or vomhining' thv tu'o gases into one. '1`hv tixvd dus is mndv by i'vvding thv hydrovurbon liquid dirvvtl) into n rvdhot rvtort, or u rvtort hvntvd to thvnvvvssnrydv glee. llithvrto it hns hvvn vonsidvrvd that h v feeding thv h \'drovnrhon liquid dirvvtly into thv retort dvstruvtivv distillntion would vnsuv; und so it does, it no mvnns wvrv providvd t'or thv 1v movul ot' thv gus :is rapidly us it is tormvd.

Hence it hns bvvn thv vustom to vonvvrt thv h drocttrbon liquid into vnpor tirst und thvn t'vvdiug thv Vapor to thv rvtort or surtnvv.

But by i the suvtion t'rom thv mixing-tuhv n rnvuum or 1 partial] rnvuum is t'ormvd in thv rvtort. so thnt the gus is uithdruwn t'rom thv sumv ulmost :is fast us it isvrvutvd. thvrvby prvvvnting dvstruvtive distillation, und thus vnuhling mv to t'vvd thv liquid direct into thv rvtort without tirst vonrvrting it into vnpor. 13)' mixing thv tixvd gus or citrburetvd lrvdrogvn with thv vnporgus or vnrbureted air un illuminating-gus is formed which I lmvv found by practical experiments to be for sup -rior to thosv heretofore used.

Hu ringthus t'ull described my invention, Whitt I oluim ns new, und desire to secure by Letters Ilutvnt, is-

l. lievdine hydrocarbon liquids into a vacuum or pnrtiul vut-umn formed in u rvtort heutvd to u suliicivnt degrrve to decompose the liquid und form u tixod ens, substantially for the purposes herein svt thrth.

L. Fvvdinf.;- hydrocarbon liquids directly into a vuvuum or partial vacuum formed in u retort hvntvd to u suftieivnt degree to dvcompose the liquid und torm u tixed gus, und withdrawing suid tixvd uns from the retort in the sume ratio as thv liquid is t'vd in, by menus ol" u vacuum or partis] vacuum created und maintnined in the retort by continual suction, substantiallyusherein svt t'orth.

2i. In :t dveoln}losing-elnuuber or rvtort heutvd sufficiently hot to convert hydroeurbon liquids into n tixed gus, producing u vacuum or partial Vueuum. und continuingI the sume whilv thv liq uids urv being introduced, by creating' n constant suction on snid chamber or retort, substantially t'or thv purposes herein set forth.

4. Feeding hydrocarbon liquid to u gusretort by hydraulic pressure, substantially as herein svt forth,

5. The vombinution ot' the i'urnucv A, retort@1 with cups b b und nozzle u, ull eonstruetvd und nrrung'vd substantially as und i'or thv purposes hvrvin svt t'orth.

o. 'lhv mixing-tube N with end ot' ooil J, nirinlvt 1l. outlvt 4), und tube I connevtinf,r with the rvtort t, ull constructed und urrung'vd us desvrihvd, to vrvutv und maintain n vacuum in tho rvtort und mix the txed gus with thv vapor-gus, substuntinllxv ns hvrein set forth.

T. 'l`hv vombinution of thv t'urnucvs A II, retorts l, tnnks (l K L, eoil J, mixing-tube N, und vonnvvtingltubvs E M 1),',111construvtvdund :trrnnhvd substantially us und t'or thv purposvs hvrvin svt t'orth.

1n tvstimony thut I claim the t'orvgoingl huve hvrvunto svt my hund this 11th dtlyoi' November, lhTl.

THEOUORE lr. SPRINGER.

VVitnvssvs:

t. L. EvER'r,

EDM. F. BROWN. (titi) 

